Eat Your Way Through Multicultural East L.A.

Mariachi Plaza looks forlorn and empty most days of the week, but pay a visit on early Saturday afternoons to see musicians, some decked out in snazzy, silver-studded charro suits, congregating here to find work. The plaza takes on a festive air as it fills up. You can hire mariachis for a special event (a fee of $45–$65 per hour, per musician is standard), or just watch them in action at La Perla Mariachi Restaurant, on the third floor of El Mercadito (Metro: Indiana), where Saturday and Sunday performances start at noon.